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Reflecting upon best practice in distance education I find that my perspective is changing with each course that I take. As a student who is new to distance learning, this course has been the first, out of eight I have taken, that truly utilized collaborative interaction among the students and the experience has been refreshing. Reviewing current literature shows that this is a growing, and crucial, trend in distance education. Foster, Shurtz, and Pepper (2014) discuss the need to include interaction and feedback in effective course design. This seems to typically be done in a written format in distance education, but is much more personal and effective when done with video conferencing.
Makani, Durier-Copp, Kiceniuk, and Blandford (2016) state that “there is growing practical evidence that one of the key factors for e-learning success is an understanding of the social component of learning, i.e., the importance of person-to-person, and group/team, interactions within the e-learning framework.” In addition, they detail that “underpinning deeper learning in virtual teams and e-learning environments is the core phenomenon of conversation”.
Unfortunately, this aspect of student interaction is often missing in e-learning environments. While “there is little empirical evidence to suggest that previously validated face-to-face best practices can be effective in the online environment” (Vasquez, & Serianni, 2012), it is increasingly obvious that this social interaction is of great value.
In addition to fostering student collaboration, it is important for instructors to create a social presence, as well as a teaching presence in their courses while building a learning community (Makani, Durier-Copp, Kiceniuk, and Blandford, 2016). Nsiah (2013) describes how, based upon the work of Evans et al. (2007) and constructivist theory, the role of the instructor in e-learning is changing to not only implement “strategies that empower the learners to construct their own meanings from the content and apply it in personal ways”, but to take the approach of co-learners with their students in the development of increasingly effective strategies and the pursuit of continued professional development in order to continue to improve the effectiveness of e-learning.
References:
Foster, M. J., Shurtz, S., & Pepper, C. (2014). Evaluation of best practices in the design
of online evidence-based practice instructional modules. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 102(1), 31+. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA361185588&sid=summon&asid=245601aaa8651491ee9d585e4bd84db8
Makani, J., Durier-Copp, M., Kiceniuk, D., & Blandford, A. (2016). Strengthening
Deeper learning through virtual teams in e-learning: A synthesis of determinants and best practices. Journal of Distance Education (Online), 31(2), 1-16. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/
docview/1863562628?accountid=12085
Nsiah, G. K., (2013). Best practices in distance education: A review. Creative
Education, 4(12), 762-766. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2013.412108
Vasquez, E., & Serianni, B. A. (2012). Research and practice in distance education for
K-12 students with disabilities. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(4), 33-42. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.
edu/docview/1283786951?accountid=12085
I wholeheartedly agree with your statement from Makani, Durier-Copp, Kiceniuk, and Blandford (2016) that “one of the key factors for e-learning success is an understanding of the social component of learning”. This aligns well with my personal learning theory of constructivism. I’ve had a couple of other online course where we collaborated, but in this course our team seemed to fit well together and really work toward a common purpose. I also agree with you that the “experience has been refreshing,” and I think it better prepares us for our present and future careers in interacting with others.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Makani, J., Durier-Copp, M., Kiceniuk, D., & Blandford, A. (2016). Strengthening
Deeper learning through virtual teams in e-learning: A synthesis of determinants and best
practices. Journal of Distance Education (Online), 31(2), 1-16. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/
docview/1863562628?accountid=12085
Thank you Susan. Through the different experiences I am having in my courses, I am learning what a great difference the social component and interaction with instructors can make. Though it has not been comfortable to learn to use video posts and conferencing, it has certainly made a difference in the courses that utilize it and provides an experience that is much more applicable to real life. In addition, I am finding that the more involved the instructor is in this process, the greater the payoff has been in my learning and comfort in the course.
DeleteFrom this course, I really liked the interaction we had not only with our classmates but also with our instructor through video conferencing. There is something comforting about actually 'meeting' our instructor as opposed to strictly communicating through text. This also helped to make me feel more comfortable contacting her if I ever had a question about an assignment. I think online courses are effective and that effectiveness is increased with social contact.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree Lisa. In my past 7 courses, I have had 2 instructors who posted videos and found that to help personalize the course. However, this experience with live video and team collaboration has been amazing in creating a feeling of community and connections with the professor and other students. This has changed my perspective as a future online instructor and also made me much more comfortable utilizing the technology available to us in distance education. It's been great working with you all!
DeleteGreat post Roger! Better than my tired blog post. My perspective of online learning grows with each course I take. From this class, my perspective of professional learning communities has changed. We has such a great ISD team that I feel that collaboration in education is one of the best practices we can have. It has been a great 8 weeks! Best of luck in all that you do!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dayna, your post was great too! This has also changed me and my perspective of professional learning communities in distance education, for the instructor as well as the students. It was such a pleasure working in our team and collaborating 'live'. I have not felt that level of support and connectedness in any other course setting. Blessings!
DeleteIt indeed is true that this distance learning experience has been an evolutionary leaning process. Every module is uniquely structured and expectations of one module always differ from another, so that the learners get exposed diverse instructional styles. The social learning aspect of collaboration, I believe is crucial in distance education, as it helps build comradery encouraging knowledge sharing among distance learners. Collaborative context of this module was truly a novel and enlightening experience for me as it helped me further my social learning and team work skills.
ReplyDeleteConstructivism, according to Koohang, Riley and Smith, 2009, involves learner centered, active learning, constructing new knowledge on previous knowledge. This empowers the learner to apply their existing knowledge, expertise and experience in to the learning process, providing the learner with opportunity to deeply personalize the teaching/ learning process. This, the teacher's role in the distance learning environment becomes more of a guide, mentor, facilitator and a partner in learning.
References
Koohang. A, Riley. L, and Smith. T (2009). E-learning and constructivism: from theory to application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects 92-109. Retrieved from http://www.ijello.org/Volume5/IJELLOv5p091-109Koohang655.pdf
I have certainly also found this course experience to be transformational Dona. Though it was not at first comfortable to learn to video conference and collaborate through electronic connections, the result was fantastic. The result for me has been the realization of how powerful this interaction can be in for the learner, especially if the instructor uses the technology available to take on the role that you mention of being a guide, mentor, facilitator, and partner in the learning in an interactive way.
DeleteRoger ,
DeleteCorrect the distance learning is more close and personal when done with more interaction with the instructor and students. Students are more encouraged to use distance learning if the feel of engaging the class as a whole and the instructor is present. This class has offered that and more. I have truly enjoyed working with you.
Thank you Theresa! It's been a pleasure working with you these past weeks as well. Isn't it amazing what a difference it makes in motivating and encouraging students when the class is connected to each other and the professor like this class was. Blessings!
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